Archive for February, 2012

Tomorrow, February 28th, is National Pancake Day, and Miss America 2012 Laura Kaeppeler is ready to celebrate! In honor of this flippin’ awesome day, Laura will be trading in her high heels and beauty pageant gowns for an IHOP apron while she visits an IHOP restaurant in Hollywood, California to help celebrate this delicious day.

This isn’t the only IHOP promoting National Pancake Day! In fact, IHOP restaurants around the globe are offering customers a free short stack of Buttermilk pancakes. All they ask is that customers leave a donation for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. As Miss America 2012, Laura is the National Goodwill Ambassador for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Miss America titleholders from across the United States will be promoting and participating in National Pancake Day events all week long!

IHOP has been celebrating National Pancake Day since 2006, and since then they’ve raised around 8 million dollars that has been used to support local charities! This year, IHOP hopes to raise 2.7 million dollars. Pageant Designs encourages all beauty pageant contestants, pageant parents, pageant lovers, and everyone else to visit your local IHOP restaurant and eat a short stack for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

Few things are dreamier than having your favorite celebrity take you to prom. If you have your heart set on a certain celebrity, what could it possibly hurt to try and ask? We’re particularly inspired by one young boy’s request to Taylor Swift for a date to his senior prom. Kevin McGuire, a young man fighting leukemia, has almost the entire state of New Jersey backing him up, which we think is amazing!

We’re certain that even if Miss Taylor Swift declines this young man’s invite, he won’t be without many more invites from girls at his school. Already the school has rallied around him to raise money for him, support a Facebook page “Taylor Swift Take Kevin McGuire to Prom!”

Why do we think Kevin’s dreams can come true?

Just look at A Prom to Remember, Cleveland, Ohio prom where teenagers with cancer are treated like celebrities on a very special prom night. Over 100 lucky ladies will arrive in limo rides and walk down the red carpet to their prom in fabulous donated prom dress.

There’s nothing more inspirational than a dream coming true. If you could have just one celebrity take you to your prom in your dream prom dress, who would it be and what dress?

Get your friends together, microwave some popcorn, and take your pick of our top four prom movie picks to get in the mood for prom planning and prom dress gowns shopping.

Pretty In Pink – It’s a classic tale that the vintage loving gal will absolutely love! If you’re a fan of the Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink will soon become your favorite prom movie! Dress of choice a bright pink 2013 Jovani prom dress will allow you to live out your own Pretty in Pink fantasy.

Prom – the newest movie on our list, this movie tells many stories that we all can identify with, trying to find the perfect date and falling for guy you never thought you’d fall for. If you’re the type to fall for Prom, you’ll love one of our Prom teen dresses.

She’s All That – What girl hasn’t dreamt of the popular, sweet guy finally taking notice of her and making her prom dreams come true? She’s All That has all that and more. Be stunning as you walk into the dance floor in one of our sequined prom dress gowns.

Carrie – Okay, it’s more of a thriller than a friendly prom movie, but still on our list of must see movies! Our dress tip? Try wearing something that will be easy to wash, because even if it isn’t pigs blood, there are drinks and snacks that can get on your dress.

Laura Kaeppeler is our new Miss America title holder, but how much do we really know about her? Well, one thing we already know is she has great taste. Her pageant gown resembled the style of Kate Middleton’s wedding dress and we think she looked absolutely stunning!

Today we will let you in on five unknown facts about the 23 year old, Kenosha, WI native.

Laura is the first Miss Wisconsin to win a Miss America pageant since the 1973 winner, Terry Meeuwsen.

She says that she wants to help children of incarcerated parents. Having been one herself, she started her the organization, Circles of Support-Mentoring Children of Incarcerated Parents, in which she plans to “reduce the endless cycle of crime by mentoring children of incarcerated parents and providing resources and tools to help them positively overcome adversity.”

She says she would like to use the scholarship money she’s won to pursue a law degree and become a family attorney.

She has a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance from Carthage College and won the talent competition portion of the pageant.

She isn’t a mom to a child, but she confesses that her little shih tzu is the love of her life.

We hope you have learned some interesting facts about Miss America 2012 that you didn’t know before. PageantDesign.com wishes Laura a great and accomplishing year!

If you’re just starting out in the wonderful world of beauty pageants there are a few things you need to know. Whether you’re the mother of toddler pageant contestant, a teenage pageant contestant or an adult pageant contestant, you’ll benefit from knowing how to talk like a beauty pageant pro.

Here are a few more terms, in addition to last week’s, to keep you ‘in the know.’

Prom night is fun, but why only wear your stunning new prom dress just once! Whether you’ve picked a floor length gown or a cute and short one dress from the 2013 Mori Lee prom dresses collection, we’ve discovered some great places to take your dress out to for Valentine’s Day. (And maybe bring along your date as well!)

Wearing a floor length, elegant dress? It’ll be the perfect thing to wear to your fanciest restaurant in town. Just remember to cover up with a napkin.

Get ready for prom night with dancing classes. At least one dancing class should be spent in your dress, so you get a feel for how it moves. On Valentine’s night you can practice your moves with your man.

Make your Valentine’s Day a special one. If you’ve realized the fun in attending prom stag, think of all the fun you’ll also have with a stag Valentine’s day. Here are a few ideas, just for girls.

Try going bowling in your prom dresses together. You can wear this year’s or last year’s dresses for this informal event.

Have your own model shoot in all of your prom dresses. Invite your friends over to swap and try one each others for a variety of shots.

If you’re a beauty pageant newbie then there’s probably terms you’ve been hearing throughout the pageant world that don’t make sense to you. Pageant Designs is here to help you learn and understand pageantry lingo, so you’ll be better prepared for your next pageant.

Bodice – Similar to a corset, the part of a pageant dress from the waist to the shoulders.

Casual wear – Clothing that is usually worn before 5 p.m. Casual pageant wear isn’t as formal as your pageantry dress, but it shouldn’t be as informal as sweatpants.

Crowning Dress – A dress that is worn by a pageant queen returning to a pageant to crown her successor.

Cupcake Dress – A particular style of little girls pageant dresses that feature a skirt layered with ruffles and often resembles a tutu.

Etiquette – A certain type of social behavior or way to conduct yourself during a beauty pageant

Extensions – Hairpieces that are added to a contestant’s real hair in order to give it length and body.

Flippers – False teeth that are worn by young girls who’ve lost a tooth.

Glitz Pageants – Beauty pageants in which the contestants wear custom made pageant gowns that are decorated with rhinestones, sequins, etc. The girls who compete in glitz beauty pageants often wear a lot of makeup, large hairpieces and hairstyles.

Grand – A level of award in glitz beauty pageants.

H/M – A contestant’s hair and makeup artist.

What are some pageant terms that you’ve heard and need defined? Let us know with a comment, and don’t forget to check out the Pageant Designs blog next week when we’ll explain more terms that are often heard in pageants.

Do you want to throw a rocking sweet sixteen bash that everyone is going to be talking about Monday in class? We know that you want your friends to remember that super cute dress you were wearing. Our plus size sweet sixteen dresses will make you the center of attention at your party, while allowing you to stay comfortable and confident!

Now that you have the perfect dress picked out, now it’s time to pick a fun theme! We have sixteen sweet ideas to make your sweet sixteen a memorable event.

Hollywood Stars – Everyone dresses as their favorite star.

Hawaiian Luau – Get out the limbo stick and place a flower in your hair.